You've just been fired

Notice, termination pay, dismissal without good and sufficient cause: what you can claim and the short filing deadlines you can't let slip.

This applies to you if your employer has ended your job, laid you off, or is pushing you to resign. Even when a dismissal is announced as "final," you keep rights: a notice period or pay in lieu of it, payment of all wages and vacation owed, and sometimes a remedy if the dismissal was unjustified. Some remedies have very short deadlines.

The steps to follow

1. Ask in writing for the reason and a Record of Employment
   Email your employer to ask for the reason your employment ended and for your Record of Employment. You need that document to apply for Employment Insurance. Keeping a written request protects you: if the employer later claims misconduct, you'll have a record of what you were actually told at the time.
2. Check the notice or severance you're owed
   The Act respecting labour standards sets a minimum notice (or equivalent pay) based on your length of service. Beyond that minimum, you may be entitled to longer "reasonable notice" under the Civil Code, especially after several years of service. Calculate what you're owed before accepting anything.
3. Don't sign a release too quickly
   You may be handed a "separation agreement" or "release" to sign in exchange for a payment. Signing often waives all your remedies. You have the right to take time to have it reviewed. A sum offered quickly is sometimes far less than what you'd be entitled to.
4. Claim your full final pay
   Your employer must pay all wages, accrued vacation pay and any sums owed, within the required time. If that isn't done, you can file a monetary complaint with the CNESST (the labour standards, pay equity and workplace health and safety board), free of charge.
5. Check whether you can contest the dismissal
   If you have two years of continuous service and the dismissal was made without good and sufficient cause, you can file a complaint for unjust dismissal with the CNESST. The deadline is 45 days after the dismissal — a short window not to miss. There are also remedies if the dismissal is tied to a prohibited practice (for example, because you exercised a right).
6. Apply for Employment Insurance without delay
   File your Employment Insurance claim as soon as your job ends, without waiting to receive your Record of Employment. Delaying can cost you weeks of benefits. In parallel, a community organization or legal aid can point you to the right remedy for your situation.

Your next step

Find help for your situation

Helpful resources for this situation

• Éducaloi
• Legal Aid (Commission des services juridiques)
• Juripop